alpMedia Newsletter

A CIPRA information service – 03.06.2015, Nr. 05/2015 www.cipra.org/alpmedia

The real treasure of the Alps

A Swiss energy producer is to receive a prize for finding a successful compromise between the protection and use of water: while the head of the Upper Allgäu district authority has approved the building of a small power plant in a protected area over the head of his own officials. Two examples of the tension existing between conservation and the energy transition.

Eisenbrech gorge on the Ostrach: the unique landscape and water are the real treasure of the Alps. These should be preserved while successfully implementing the energy transition. © Julia Wehnert, Bund Naturschutz

Water, in all its forms, is without doubt one of the most valuable resources of the Alps. There are also major interests where this treasure is of special importance: over 90 percent of Alpine watercourses are nowadays used and exploited to produce electricity using hydropower. Many strategy papers assign an important role for hydropower in the energy transition, for example in the Swiss town of Aarberg near Lake Biel and the Bavarian municipality of near .

A power plant at any price Bad Hindelang has twice made recent headlines: it was once of the first places in to be awarded the label of “Mountain Village” as an acknowledgment of sustainable tourism. However, in May 2015, the head of the Upper Allgäu district authority approved the construction of a small hydropower plant, even though the responsible official refused to sign the authorisation, the first time this had happened in . The official was not alone in rejecting the project: the plans were regarded with considerable scepticism by the Environment Ministry in Munich, nature conservation associations and the German Alpine Association (DAV). The specific case involves a power plant in a previously unspoilt and pristine valley in the Allgäu High Alps nature reserve. The Ostrach stream flows through a gorge, which has no fewer than five levels of protection: as a national and European protected area, as a protected landscape, as a natural monument and as a bird sanctuary. The project envisages electricity being generated for 2,500 households even though the power plant will remain unused for up to 165 days a year, as little water flows through the Ostrach in winter. Both environmental organisations and private individuals have now filed objections with various authorities in order to protect this natural gem and to prevent a precedent from being created. The German Alpine Association even wants to retract the “Mountain Village” label.

Renaturing as a business strategy On the other hand, the 2015 Swiss Water Prize has been awarded to the owner of the Aarberg power plant, BKW Energie AG, for its successful compromise between the protection and use of water. It is the first time that a company has received the prize, jointly awarded by Pro Natura and the Swiss Water Management Association, among others. The Aarberg power plant was built in the 1960s and is the first run-of-river plant in Switzerland to achieve the highest level of eco-certification. The company has so far invested six million Swiss francs in numerous environmental improvements around the plant to provide new habitats for animals and plants. The cost is borne not just by the company, but also by consumers. Municipalities, farmers and other private land and forest owners have also participated in the rehabilitation work. In her praise for the project, the representative of the Swiss Environment Ministry particularly highlighted this co-operation and discussion culture as contributing to its success.

Alpine rivers are not renewable These two examples show that the balancing act between nature conservation and the energy transition can succeed and that at the same time the thirst for energy will not spare the unique landscapes and water courses that are the real treasure of the Alps. “Our first priority must be to reduce energy consumption in our society and to implement models such as the 2000-Watt society”, says Katharina Conradin, President of CIPRA. This includes a freeze on the construction of new hydroelectric plants and optimising existing plants. Because, as Conradin says, “Alpine rivers are not renewable”.

Source and further information: http://www.alpenverein.de/presse/bergsteigerdoerfer-hinterstein- ramsau_aid_15232.html (de), http://www.sueddeutsche.de/bayern/naturschutzgebiet-im-allgaeu- kurioser-streit-um-wasserkraftwerk-1.2476121 (de), http://www.gewaesserpreis.ch/site/index.cfm?id_art=119000 (de), http://www.srf.ch/news/regional/bern-freiburg-wallis/kraftwerk-aarberg-fuer-engagement-im- naturschutz-ausgezeichnet (de)

Point of view

Making the Alpine Convention more interactive

The effectiveness of the Alpine Convention is often called into question. A new approach could help reposition it as an engine of co- operation and sustainable development in the Alpine regions, says Claire Simon, Executive Director of CIPRA International.

Claire Simon is executive director of CIPRA International © Martin Walser

The Alpine Convention is currently preparing its work programme for the years 2017-2022. This is a good opportunity to discuss the fundamental questions regarding the critical topics and of working together. The German presidency and the permanent secretariat thus invited partners to a workshop held in mid-May and organised by the Liechtenstein delegation in Triesenberg. The interactive design of the workshop was a welcome innovation for the Alpine Convention. This first step has shown that more effective co-operation is possible within the framework of this international organisation. The workshop saw a thorough discussion of key challenges and opportunities in the Alps. Ground- breaking topics such as spatial planning, quality of life and youth came to the fore. Exchanges that went well beyond national mandates took place, with long-standing and experienced protagonists of the Alpine Convention sharing their ideas and visions with participants who were far less familiar with the international agreement. The results of the workshop provided suggestions for numerous activities on the part of the Alpine Convention and its partners. Events of this type can give the Alpine Convention new impetus, improve its visibility and increase its credibility and participation in its work. It is therefore important that the results from Triesenberg are duly taken into account by all parties to the Convention and included in the priorities and actions of the new work programme for the coming years.

News from the CIPRA Initiating change for a good life in the Alps

What does it take to ensure a good life in the Alps? What social and political changes are necessary? Answers will be provided at the annual CIPRA Conference to be held on 25 and 26 September 2015 in Ruggell, Liechtenstein.

What do the inhabitants of the Alps need to achieve a sustainable life? CIPRA provides answers at its annual conference in 2015. © David Trilling Development needs change, both at the level of the individual and of society. This means abandoning old habits and daring to embrace the new in order to gain new perspectives and options for action. Annette Jenny from Switzerland, a senior project leader at econcept AG, will explain how eco-friendly behaviour can be encouraged in her presentation on the findings of environmental psychology at the 2015 CIPRA annual conference with its motto “Action for change! We need more than just declarations of intent” to be held in in Ruggell, Liechtenstein.

In dialogue with André Stapfer of the University of Applied Sciences in Rapperswil, Switzerland and wolf expert Duccio Berzi from the Apennine mountains in Italy, participants will discuss changing practices in the protection of nature and the environment. Mayor Peter Brandauer will recount the changes brought about by sustainable transport in the Austrian municipality of Werfenweng. Jean- François Lopez from the Massif des Bauges nature park in France will report on how to change the behaviour of those who practise sports in Alpine mountain areas. Young people will relate their experiences with sustainable travel in the Alps as part of the Youth Alpine Express project.

An initiatives market will provide an opportunity to exchange views with people from the Rhine Valley who have committed themselves to leading a “sufficient” lifestyle. On Saturday participants will tackle the topic of “Change” during the course of three excursions.

The current programme, registration and more information can be found under www.cipra.org/de/jf2015. Closing date for registrations is 31.08.2015.

Source: http://www.cipra.org/de/jf2015 (de)

Young voices at the Expo

Giving a voice to mountains all over the world – this is the idea behind the theme week on mountain areas being staged at the World Expo in Milan. CIPRA is there too, with brave young people and a very special concert.

The “Alps. No limits” project intends to show the diversity of the Alps and how the region is facing common challenges, such as the participation of young people. © Heinz Heiss From 4 to 11 June 2015 mountain areas will be at the heart of Expo Milano. The “Mountain Week” will consider international co-operation, agriculture and sustainable development. CIPRA is contributing to two projects during this themed week.

Three orchestras will be appearing for the first time on stage together. For these musicians from Italy, France and Slovenia the concert, held under the motto “The Alps. No limits”, is a real challenge: they live up to 800 kilometres apart, speak different languages and have different needs, such as the fact that 32 of the musicians have mental disabilities. This example of Alpine-wide co-operation can be heard at 6:00 pm on 6 June at Madonna del Piano di Bianzone and at 5:30 pm on 7 June in the “Cascina Triulza – Civil Society Pavilion” at the Expo.

Two dozen young people from different Alpine countries will be using the Expo as an opportunity to scrutinise their activities and habits under the motto “A good day has 100 points”. The greater their CO2 footprint, the more points are added, with the target being not to exceed 100 points a day. The challenge here is that participants in the “Youth Alpine Express” are travelling from their homelands to Milan with the aim of showing visitors to the Expo and political representatives of the Alpine countries that sustainable living is possible.

The “The Alps. No limits” and “Youth Alpine Express” projects represent a collaborative effort between ministries, municipalities and regions, cultural institutions and associations as well as non- governmental organisations. The projects are being financially supported by (among others) the German Ministry of the Environment, the Swiss Federal Office for Spatial Development ARE and the region of Valposchiavo.

Source and further information: http://youthalpineexpress.eu/, https://www.facebook.com/events/379646898909868/, http://www.mountainweek.org

News from the Alps

Ski lifts in Italy to become liable for tax

Public transport between Italy, Austria and Slovenia is moving forward. The consequences remain to be seen.

Are ski lifts in ski areas a form of public transport? The Supreme Court in Italy has ruled not. © Peter Freitag / Pixelio.de A ski-lift company had challenged the decision of the Italian tax authorities to charge real estate tax on a lift system in 2014. The Supreme Court of Cassation has now decided that commercial ski lifts and gondolas are not a form of public transportation, and are therefore liable to tax. Operators therefore now face an annual real estate tax charge of 25,000 euros for a 5-seater chairlift and up to 50,000 euros for a gondola. The ruling has shaken the sector and may affect the future of many ski areas that are already struggling with the consequences of the economic crisis.

In the public perception, all lifts were previously regarded as means of public transport, not just those that served remote villages and pastures and were thus subsidised in the public interest. Decision-makers are now looking for a political solution. Can the law be changed? Can the public sector rather than commercial lift operators take on the real estate tax? Environmental groups criticise the fact that the essential question is being overlooked: how can a transition be made to a form of tourism that is also genuinely sustainable – including in economic terms?

Source and further information: www.repubblica.it/economia/2015/03/23/news/sci_gestori_in_allarme_per_l_obbligo_di_pagare_l _imu_sugli_impianti-110290548/ (it), www.lastampa.it/2015/03/24/edizioni/aosta/la-cassazione-si- deve-pagare-limu-anche-sulle-funivie-mLlIZLwpIvqzOGZkvOOBIP/pagina.html (it), www.uncem.piemonte.it/News.php?id=423 (it), www.mountainwilderness.it/news/displaynews.php?idnews=426 (it), www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2015/03/27/imu-anche-per-gli-impianti-a-fune-giusto/1542994/ (it)

New French policy for the mountains

Thirty years ago, France passed a special law for its mountain areas. It is now undergoing a review. Here is a summary of the most significant amendments.

The policy is intended to produce the right incentives for climate protection, such as the expansion of public transport. (c) Nuno Murão / Flickr.com In 1985 the French parliament adopted a law covering mountain areas. Thirty years on, only 35 of its 102 articles now exist in their original form. Global phenomena such as climate change are also presenting mountain areas with new challenges. Prime Minister Manuel Valls has therefore asked Bernadette Laclais and Annie Genevard to collect and develop proposals for a revision of the law. The two parliamentarians are due to make their results available by mid-May 2015. Nine mountain and environmental organisations, including CIPRA France, have already submitted views, including 21 concrete measures. They demand a balance between protection and usage. The successful development of sustainable and liveable mountain areas requires new concepts for tourism, the valorisation of biodiversity, a “sufficient” lifestyle as well as the expansion of rail and public transport. In their paper the mountain and environmental organisations also set out concepts for ensuring basic services and the further development of governance for mountain areas.

Source and further information: http://www.123savoie.com/auvergne-et-rhone-alpes-ensemble- pour-lacte-ii-de-la-loi-montagne/ (fr), http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2015/02/05/2043593-ils- planchent-sur-l-acte-ii-de-la-loi-montagne.html (fr), http://anem.org/page.asp?ref_arbo=2239&ref_mere=2203 (fr), http://www.cipra.org/fr/positions/acte-ii-de-la-loi-montagne-quelles-politiques-demain-pour-une- montagne-a-vivre (fr)

Getting the modal shift moving

Austria gives the green light for the construction of a controversial rail tunnel. At the same time, the Swiss Federal Office for Transport has published two reports that suggest that the modal shift of goods onto rail can succeed even without large infrastructure projects.

To get goods of the roads and onto rail above all needs software, i.e. laws, access and an Alpine-wide framework. © Berggeist007 / pixelio.de The Austrian Federal Administrative Court has now ruled that the Semmering rail tunnel can be built. The public interest outweighs all objections made, such as the project’s lack of economic benefits. The current figures of the Swiss Federal Office for Transport suggest that, for an effective modal shift of goods onto the railways, the existing infrastructure is adequate if the right accompanying measures are introduced: in 2014, rail in Switzerland increased its market share for transalpine freight to over two thirds (67.3 percent). This is the highest level since the 2001 introduction of the Heavy Vehicle Charge (LSVA), a toll that applies on all roads for trucks weighing over 3.5 tonnes. “This is mainly a matter of transport policy: not only the heavy vehicle charge, but also promoting the use of railways or stricter controls on trucks”, says Manuel Herrmann of the Alps Initiative.

Things are different in France: from 1999 to 2013, the share of rail freight transported between France and Italy fell considerably, both at Frejus and at Ventimiglia: down from 19.9% to 9.3%. On the Brenner Pass too, over which most goods are carried, rail freight transport practically stagnated at 11.7 million tonnes in 2013.

On 30 May 2015, therefore, the Alpine Initiative and the European Transport Initiative (ITE) passed a joint resolution demanding an Alps-wide co-ordinated transport policy and a halt to road projects, such as on the Gotthard Pass. The Swiss experience shows that, to get the modal shift moving, what is above all needed is “software”: infrastructure alone cannot yet get goods off the road.

Source and further information : http://www.bav.admin.ch/verlagerung/01529/index.html?lang=de&download=NHzLpZeg7t,lnp6I0 NTU042l2Z6ln1acy4Zn4Z2qZpnO2Yuq2Z6gpJCDfHt7fmym162epYbg2c_JjKbNoKSn6A-- (de/fr), http://www.bav.admin.ch/aktuell/00479/index.html?lang=de&msg-id=56809 (de/fr/it), http://www.alpeninitiative.ch/alpeninitiative/medien/medienmitteilungen/2015/150408_mm_verlag erung.html (de/fr/it), http://diepresse.com/home/wirtschaft/economist/4739903/Urteil_Semmeringtunnel-darf-gebaut- werden?_vl_backlink=/home/index.do (de), https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alliance-For- Nature-Allianz-f%C3%BCr-Natur/491454754314895 (de)

Agenda Strange but true!

…Are beavers really just great big clumsy Green Week 2015, 03.06. - 05.06.2015, rodents? No way! Once in the water they Brussels/Belgium, Organisation: European Commission. are as agile as fish, they can fell tree after More... tree and they tirelessly build dams. Their speed is nowhere as obvious as in Demand driven climate services in Europe - Exploring Liechtenstein, where beavers were seen opportunities for developing research and innovation for the first time in 2008, with the return of projects, 11.06. - 12.06.2015, Brussels/Belgium, this strictly protected animal celebrated. Organisation: JPI Climate. More... Management of the beaver population so as to regulate how and where these 1st Joint Call Kick-off Meeting, 16.06. - 17.06.2015, rodents live, however, was neglected, as Brussels/Belgium, Organisation: JPI Climate. More... was the question of the funds required to protect human constructions. In spring 2015 hunters were called in to eradicate , JPI Climate Knowledge Usability WORK-Shop two beaver families from protected 17.06.2015, Brussels/Belgium, Organisation: JPI Climate. natural areas: the structures built by the More... animals were jeopardising flood protection systems. The beaver’s return Interface between science and mountain protected to Liechtenstein was too successful – and areas: the role of scientific councils , 25.06. - too quick in overhauling the slow wheels 26.06.2015, Chambéry/FR, Organisation: ISCAR, LabEx of the law. Item, alparc. More... Source and further information: http://lgu.li/artikel/wie-weiter-mit-den- bibern-in-liechtenstein (de)